Candidate for MEA Secretary‑Treasurer

Aaron Eling

Aaron has been a classroom teacher for almost twenty years, having the unique opportunity to teach in both charter and public schools across urban, suburban, and rural communities. Prior to becoming a public school teacher, Aaron spent over a decade in the service industry as a skilled tradesman where he learned the value of a “hands‑on” education. Aaron is a resident of Grand Haven and currently teaches 6th grade science and social studies at White Pines Intermediate School. He and his wife have three children and share their home with their two rescue dogs, and an occa sional foster pup.

Campaign Statement

Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These core values are the building blocks that aid in making the right decisions at the right time. They are the values you live by and they are the values you fight with as well. My union brothers and sisters, you don’t need me to tell you that our schools have become battlegrounds. Ultra‑conservative activists have declared a culture war on our students and on our members. They are attacking our curriculum, our libraries and our school boards in an attempt to destroy public education as we know it. For the sake of honesty and transparency, we know public educa tion is not perfect. We know some of the current systems are broken. But we also know there are systems that we can fix together, if we reprioritize the work at MEA and bring our collective voices to a wider audience.

To accomplish this we will need a leadership TEAM that brings out the BEST in each other, a team that com municates honestly and effectively, a team that works together to achieve a shared goal. We also need to organize members who are willing to step up and do the work that needs to be done. Our members are our greatest asset.

As a local leader, I recognize that mem bership has been on a steady decline in many areas of the state, especially on the westside, where I live. I see that it’s getting more difficult to organize new hires, and in some cases, retain our existing mem bers. We are a professional labor orga nization and it is crucial that we evolve to meet the changing needs of our mem bers, while staying true to our mission: To protect, advocate, and advance the rights of all education professionals to promote quality public education for all students.

I’m running for MEA

Secretary‑Treasurer because I strongly believe in the value of public education and honoring and protecting the integ rity of my union brothers and sisters. I am thankful for our union and the sta bility it provides for our members, and I am thankful for all of you. Solidarity.